Too much focus on role of products in gambling addiction, says Senet Group CEO

Finlay, CEO of self-regulatory body the Senet Group, believes some industry stakeholders place too much focus on the role of products within problem gambling.

Finlay was taking part in a panel discussion at the Responsible Gambling Trust's Harm Minimisation Conference when he fielded a question on approaches to responsible gambling.

Matt Zarb-Cousin of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling, which campaigns for a reduction in the maximum FOBT stake to £2 per spin, asked Finlay: "Is it not more effective, instead of trying to teach people to gamble responsibly, or tell them to gamble responsibly, when we know that people already do want to gamble responsibly, to adjust the products and environments to create a climate that's more conducive to gambling without so much harm?"

Finlay acknowledged that gambling addiction relates to a "combination of factors concerned with people, product and environment" all of which, he said, need to be addressed.

He added: "While you might accuse us of focusing particularly on people, I think that some organisations perhaps focus too much on individual products."